Chapter Twenty Nine
It’s getting late, well past closing time, and yet, I haven’t had a moment spare to lock up.
Since my last appointment of the day, I’ve been hard at work on my ball gown. It’s almost finished, I just need to add a couple more embellishments and it’ll be ready for tomorrow. I wish I was looking forward to it more than I am - weeks ago, if I’d been invited to a regency-themed ball, I’d be beside myself with excitement. But now everything seems to have lost its lustre, like tarnished silver turning dull.
I don’t even notice the door opening as I steam the skirt of the dress, but I start sharply when a grating cackle rings out behind me.
‘Hm, nice design. Almost as good as one of my own.’
My teeth bared, I doggedly carry on with my task. I don’t need to turn around to know who’s arrogant voice that is.
‘What do you want, Zoe?’
I had no intention of facing her, but she takes matters into her own hands, striding in and planting herself right in front of me.
‘Look, I know you banned me from your little store, blah, blah, but I have news.’ She tosses her hair over her shoulder and checks her nails. ‘The wedding’s off.’
Gobsmacked, I gawk at her, barely processing what I just heard. ‘W-what?’
‘Don’t worry, Kit will still be paying you for your work, though to be honest, I don’t see the point.’
‘No, back up a second. The wedding is off?’
‘Yeah. It’s not happening.’
‘What - what happened?’ I gasp, clasping a palm to my mouth. ‘Did Kit discover you were planning to sell his family home? Or did he come across your conversations with your friend?’
Almost impressed, Zoe quirks an eyebrow. ‘Boy, you don’t miss a thing, do you? Nope, apparently he cares more about his dumb little sister than his fianceé. The horrid brat told him about my - comments - at the appointment, and one thing led to another and I realised he just wasn’t worth the hassle any more.’
Again, I’m left stunned. ‘Wait, you dumped him?’
‘Mm-hm. About time too, I was getting sick of hanging around this lame little village.’
‘How … how can you be so cold?’ Incredulous, my hands ball into fists of indignation. ‘Don’t you care at all that your marriage is over before it even began? Don’t you care about Kit?’
Disarmed, she blinks, her mask cracking before me, revealing a sliver of vulnerability.
‘Of course I care. Kit’s a nice guy, too nice for me, in fact. It wasn’t my intention to hurt him, but I suppose I’m just good at that. He was a means to an end, collateral damage, kind of like you were back in New York.’ She gives me a weird, wane smile. ‘And you know, this isn’t a walk in the park for me, either. It’s going to be rather humiliating telling everyone that the wedding is cancelled. But life goes on, doesn’t it?’
After speaking her piece, she pivots on her heel, her bearing tall and dignified. And I’m left feeling conflicted. On one hand, Zoe’s a horrible person, she betrayed me, shattered Tanya’s tenuous confidence and tried to use Kit for his money. But on the other hand … she’s only human, and all humans have a heart, even if they’re frozen in ice.
‘Hey.’ I reach out and touch her arm. ‘Are you going to be okay?’
She glances back, that perfected snide smile in place. ‘Oh, you know me, Lottie. I always get what I want, in the end.’ She shrugs me off. ‘I guess I just didn’t want this enough.’
As she strolls toward the door, I allow myself to breathe out, that is, until she calls back to me.
‘Oh, for what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure he likes you too.’
Stiffening like a statue, I scramble for a response. ‘I - I -’
‘Oh, don’t try and deny it, Lottie, you’re as transparent as tissue paper,’ she scoffs. ‘Well, it’s over now, if I were you, I’d go for it. What have you got to lose, eh?’
Her face is hard to read, but I could swear, there’s a whisper of sincerity beneath her smirk. And then she’s gone, leaving her signature trail of perfume behind her.
Each breath hitched, I pace the length of the shop floor back and forth, tugging at the loose strands of hair that have escaped my topknot. The wedding is off. Zoe dumped Kit - she dumped him, after all the scheming she’s been up to!
There’s only one thing I know for sure - I’ve got to speak to him. I have to know how he’s doing, I just can’t leave him alone at a time like this. I might have shunned him, but I still care for him. Deeply.
Leaving all sense in the dust, I run out into the street and sprint across the village. I don’t dare to stop until I reach Sweet Pepper Close, and I hammer on the knocker before I change my mind.
‘Kit?’ I look frantically around for any sign of him as I call his name over and over. His car is in the driveway, surely that means he’s home. ‘Kit! It’s me.’
Perhaps he won’t answer, I mean, I refused to open my door to him the last time we crossed paths. Reality dawns on me in a cold sweep - maybe this isn’t such a good idea. He’s just been jilted, the last thing he’ll want is to have a mushy heart-to-heart with the woman who was making his fianceé’s wedding gown.
Dejected, I turn on my heel, and then the door swings open.
‘Goodness, what’s all this about?’ It’s Kit’s Aunt Karen, the woman who made the initial bridal appointment for Tanya and Zoe. ‘Oh, you’re the dressmaker, aren’t you?’
‘I - I am.’ I stutter over each word, grasping for an explanation. ‘I’m sorry, do you know where Kit is?’
Karen shakes her head regrettably. ‘He said he was going for a walk, that was a couple of hours ago now. I imagine he just wanted to clear his head. Why, was there something you needed, dear?’
Drawing a shivery breath, I turn my back. ‘No, nothing. Erm, thank you.’
She watches bewildered as I traipse down the garden path and out of the close, with much less speed than I entered.
What was I thinking rushing across the village like that? As if Kit needs me right now, of all people. He needs space, time, and most of all, his family.
As I return to the boutique, I half hope against hope that I’ll be greeted by a tall figure standing outside the door - that lazy, casual lean against the brick, that tumble of deep blond hair blowing in the soft breeze, the sheen of those hazel eyes bright under the streetlamp …
But of course, there’s no one there.
In darkness, I stumble into the boutique and traipse upstairs to the flat, not bothering to find the light switch. Stepping out of my shoes at the door, I head for the bedroom and drop onto the mattress face first, hugging the pillow to my chest.
The moon shines through the open window, casting a baleful light over the dim room. I haven’t wished on a star since I was a kid, but now I kneel up in bed as if in prayer and gaze up at the night sky.
I hope Kit is alright. I just want him to be okay …